A Final Battle
by X.misunderstood.X
Summary: DH Spoiler!AU Ron and Hermione's romance begins to heat up. Harry asked Ginny what! And Ron has a dirty little secret.


Chapter 1: A Secret Revealed 

An icy rain drenched Godric's Hollow. A woman, quite plump with bushy auburn hair, kneeled to place a white lily on the freshly dug grave. With a flick of her wand, the lily turned to solid gold. The tombstone read very clearly, "HERE LIES A BELOVED HUSBAND, WONDERFUL FATHER, AND THE MINISTRY'S FINEST. REST IN PEACE DEAR ARTHUR WEASLEY"

A young man no older than seventeen stepped forward and with a flash of his wand the grave's soil became a sapphire tomb. Arthur's face could not be seen, but the faint silhouette showed through the tomb. He looked to the ground and cried. It was unseen to all but one. A young woman stepped forward to where the man now stood. Her face was tear-stained and wet. She took his hand and leaned her head into his strong shoulder. She began to sob. He dropped her hand and caressed her. His auburn hair fell into his face.

"Hermione, you know that when you cry, I always start up again," the young man said.

"Ron, he was like a father to me. You can't expect me to take this lightly," she sobbed back. She buried her face deep into his chest again. Ron picked her up and carried her to the muggle car. He laid her gently in the back seat. She sat up and moved over for him to sit. He got in and took her hand.

"Mia, you need to know that Arthur wasn't my father. He was the closest thing to a father I had, but he wasn't. You see, Molly my mother, she fell in love with someone. They were having an affair and I was the outcome. When I was 3, my mum stopped seeing the man and he committed suicide. My mum was devastated and told Arthur what had happened and soon later Ginny was born," Ron said sadly. He touched his wand to his head and the charm unveiled. His hair was black and his eyes were icy blue. He looked at her and turned away.

Chapter 2: Holding On

Hermione's eyes filled with tears as Ron charmed himself again.

"Why would you hide this from me? What have I ever done to be mistrusted with this secret? Ronald, I love you with all my heart and I want to be with you. Don't you understand? You can tell me anything!" Hermione sobbed. She wiped her tears away. Ron merely looked away.

"Mia, I'm sorry…You see, I never told anyone, not even my own mum. My mum doesn't know I resemble him…she wouldn't be able to handle it if she did, " he whispered. A silver tear ran down his face and hit the gray interior. It stained it a darker gray. Hermione gingerly touched his face and brought it up. She wiped a tear from his cheek and looked at him. She smiled and said,

"Ron, I love you. Please don't cry. I need you to be okay, so I'll be okay," She kissed him, right on the lips. Tears running down her face, her lips met his. His arms caressed her and they were in perfect harmony.

Suddenly the family came down the hill to where the car was. Harry was embracing Ginny as they walked, her mascara running down her face. He pointed his wand to her face and wiped away the tears. Hermione wiped the tears below her eyes. George was walking alone, the maimed side of the face facing away from Ron and Hermione. It was mangled and scarred. It never really healed right, but it did heal.

"Two funerals in the same month. It's a wonder what's keeping this family together," muttered George. He was having a very hard time with the loss of both his identical brother and his dad.

"We're keeping this family together, George," Molly answered, "All of us are going to be fine." Harry let go of Ginny for a moment to clasp his hand on Mrs. Weasley's back. She touched his hand and said,

"Thank you dear. I honestly don't know where this family would be without you and Hermione." She looked to Hermione and smiled. Hermione forced a smile back.

Molly bustled the family into the car and climbed into the drivers seat. With a flick of her wand they were off. She had never really learned how to operate this muggle contraption. Arthur had always been the one to use the muggle artifacts. Remembering so she began to cry again. George convinced her to pull over and allow him to drive. He had learned to use the car correctly and was certainly of age. Ron sat crammed in the back seat, Hermione on one side and Harry on the other. He thought to himself,

'Why…why did you have to go and kill yourself…didn't you realize you had a son that looked identical to you? If only you were alive, I would have someone to run to.'

Deep in London, far from where the family was heading, a man was bound in great vines. An evil man with pale skin and eyes like slits stood over him, wand at the ready.

Chapter 3: The Last Horcrux

"Ron? Ron? Are you all right? Ron?" asked Hermione quietly. His thought was broken.

"Huh? What?" Ron asked. He swung his head from side to side as if he didn't know who was speaking to him. Then he looked to the troubled Hermione. She looked at him, obviously worried about him. He reached down and grasped her hand. He stroked her thumb and whispered back,

"I'm fine Mia…are you okay?" She nodded and leaned her head on his shoulder. Within a few moments the grief ridden Hermione was asleep. Ron stroked her hair and kissed her the top of her head. Harry was holding the sleeping Ginny in his arms. She had been asleep for quite some time. Ron looked over at his peaceful little sister.

All of a sudden the silence was shattered. Harry grabbed his scar and writhed with pain. He saw the dark lord. He was standing over a dark figure wrapped in vines. He saw the giant snake curled around his shoulders. Voldemort was laughing at the man in vines. Harry shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"VOLDEMORT! He's back! He's got a man captured in vines!" Harry screamed. George slammed on the brakes avoiding a following car and found the nearest shoulder. Hermione sat bolt up and looked to Harry in fear.

"But we destroyed the horcruxes! All of them! Unless…" She trailed off. She dug into the small black hand bag and pulled out a large black book entitled "_The Darkest Art_" She flew through the fragile pages and found horcruxes. She read to herself,

The soul can be split into a total of eight pieces.

"There's one more…" she said quietly. Her eyes were wide and her face was blank.

"What?!" shrieked Ron.

"There's one more. Harry, we aren't done. There's one more!" Hermione cried. She leaned into Ron's chest. Tears began to stain Ron's black shirt. She looked to Harry, who sat shaking his head.

"How is this possible? This can't be happening…. I thought we were done with this battle. I thought we were in the clear. This cannot be happening," Harry muttered. He snatched Hermione's book from her lap and read the line.

The soul can be split into a total of eight pieces.

"We only have one left though, so it should be easier to find and destroy, " Ron said optimistically. Hermione shook her head. Ron shot her a questioning look.

"This is the last one. Which means…"

"Which means it will be that much harder to find and destroy," Harry finished. Ron looked at him and said,

"I was trying to be optimistic…you don't have to be so negative."

"We aren't being negative, Ron. We're being practical," Hermione answered, "You know as well as any of us that this battle is going to be that much harder. You know that it's not going to end well. And you know that everyone of us may die in the process. This is not the time for optimism. This is the time for action."

"Agreed," said Harry bluntly. Just then Molly broke out in tears again.

"I know the significance of what you have to do, but please be careful. I really don't want to have to bury another one of my children," She said, sobbing. Harry, Hermione and Ron nodded in agreement.

Moments later they exited the car and Apparated to the burrow for their belongings and short, but sweet goodbyes.

Harry packed quickly and stuck his suitcase in Hermione's handbag. Ron had already packed his belongings.

"Harry, may I see you for a moment?" Ginny called down the stairs. Harry nodded and headed up the stairs. He met her in her bedroom. He remembered the last time he was in her room. She embraced him as soon as he was through the door. She then looked up at his face and began to sob. He pressed her into his chest and let her cry on his shoulder. She looked up at his face again and then he kissed her, like he had never kissed her before. He began to cry. Hot tears rolled down his cheeks and down onto her auburn hair. She began to sob harder and then she looked up and whispered,

"This may be the last time I ever see you. Harry, I don't want you to leave here. I want you to stay here and live with me. I love you, and I can't watch you go, so please don't be upset if you don't see me downstairs when you depart." He merely nodded and whispered,

"Ginny Weasley, will you marry me?" He dropped to his knee and revealed a satin box with a small diamond ring. She dropped to her knees and began sobbing.

"Yes. Yes, I will marry you!" she cried. He slipped the ring on her finger and embraced her once more.

Chapter 4: The Horcrux Obtained

Hermione and Ron sat on a small love seat in the parlor.

"How is another Horcrux even possible? Voldemort's soul can't possibly be anywhere near stable," Ron asked Hermione.

"Well, no. Voldemort's soul was unstable the day he made the first Horcrux. He shredded his soul. He doesn't have very much left, so he has to be drawing off someone else's power," Hermione said.

"Could it be like Quirell? He's attached to someone else? Or is he just using someone's wand?" asked Ron.

"Its impossible to know until we see him again," said Hermione. She was very quiet. She was worried about whether or not they were going to make it out alive this time.

XxX

"Please! No! No more…I can't take it. Please let me stop!" begged a young man. He held a basin of bright green potion. It was potent, and smelled of death. The young man's lips were bloody as if someone had kicked him in the lips. A pale man stood over him. He was cloaked in black robes that hid most of his face. His piercing red eyes shined through like a hideous snake.

"Drink it!" he hissed, "Drink it all! Retrieve the locket from the bottom!"

"Please! Let me take a break! I need but a moment!" pleaded the man.

"You are worthless. A mere mudblood mortal," Voldemort sneered. He grabbed the man by the hair and threw him to the ground. Grabbing the basin, he drank the frothy poison. It burned his lungs and he cringed at the pain, but continued drinking. The basin ran dry and a golden locket fell to the evil man's feet. He plucked it from the rocks and strung it around his throat.

"I have no use for you any longer," spat Voldemort. He kicked the young man into the Inferi that were in the lake. The man screamed as the hand groped his weak body. They engulfed him.

Chapter 5: The Decision Amongst Friends 

"Hermione? Hermione?" asked Ron, "Are you alright?"

"Yah, just thinking…" she trailed off. Just then they heard an awful scream of pain.

"Harry!" they shrieked. Ron and Hermione rushed up the stairs to Ginny's bedroom. Harry was kneeling on the floor, grasping his scar in pain. Hermione rushed to Harry's side.

"What did you see?" Hermione asked him quietly.

"He used the man. The man I saw before in the vines. He used him to drink the potion to retrieve another Horcrux. Voldemort pushed him to the Inferi. He's dead. The man is dead," Harry answered. Ron looked away to the terrified Ginny. He rushed to her and asked her what had happened.

"Harry proposed to me and we were hugging and all of a sudden he starts screaming in pain. Ron, I was so scared. I didn't know what to do, " she said. She began to sob onto Ron's shoulder. He stroked her red locks until she stopped crying. He glared up at Harry.

'_Idiot. Why'd you go and propose to her? Don't you know we may never come back? All you've done is given her false hope,'_ Ron thought to himself.

"Come on, stand up, " coaxed Hermione. She helped Harry to his feet and supported him out the door. Ron muttered as he passed,

"I'll deal with you later," Harry nodded and continued walking.

XxX

"How could you?!" Ron demanded, "How could you go propose to my little sister. If you don't come back, she's going to be devastated. She's my little sister, Harry. How could you go against me, your best mate?"

"You did what to Ginny?" Hermione gasped, "Harry, I thought you knew better. Ron's little sister of all people."

"Shut up, both of you!" Harry snapped, "I don't deserve this. I love her, Ron. And I don't need your permission."

"Harry, yes you do. She's Ron's little sister, " said Hermione in Ron's defense.

"Stay out of this!" yelled Harry.

"DON'T YOU DARE YELL AT HER!!" Ron screamed back. He stepped in front of the sobbing Hermione. She grabbed the back of Ron's shirt and began to sob into it. He stepped to the side and took her in his arms. She sobbed harder into his muscular chest. She looked to Harry and stated quite upset,

"How could you just snap at me to stay out of this? Harry, I care about you, I really do and for you to tell me to stay out of this is like a knife to the part of my heart that cares about you." She turned away, unable to speak. Ron hugged her very tightly and glared at him over her head.

"Harry, I know that you love her and want to be with her, but you picked a horrid time to propose. That's all. I really think you should have waited to ask her until we got back, if we return," said Ron calmly. Harry nodded and scratched the back of his head with guilt.

"Yah I suppose you're right. Ron, I'm sorry. Its just I love her and I wanted her to know incase I never come back," Harry said.

"Don't apologize to me, apologize to Hermione, she's the one you hurt the worst, " said Ron motioning to the crying Hermione.

"Really, Ron, It's no big deal. I know he didn't mean it," she said, sniffing and wiping tears from her eyes.

"Hermione…I do need to apologize. Without you, we would have never got this far and I really don't want you to stay out of this. We need you to stay in this so we know what we're doing," said Harry. He reached out and gave her a hug. She hugged him back. All of a sudden, Ron dropped to the ground and covered his head.

Chapter 6: The Secret's Escape

"Ron! Ron! Are you okay?!," shrieked Hermione. A black lock of hair fell threw Ron's fingers. He groped his pockets for his wand. He found it and pointed it to his head. He released his hands and red engulfed the black. He turned to them and looked. His eyes changed from icy blue to a softer blue.

"Ron!" yelled Harry, "What in the bloody hell was that all about?!" Ron sighed and sat down in an arm chair.

"I suppose I should tell you. Arthur…you see, isn't my father. My mother had an affair with a man. She got pregnant and had me and my father charmed me to look like my mum until I was fifteen and then I charmed myself. My father is dead. He committed suicide after my mum stopped seeing him. Shortly after my mum told Arthur, Ginny was born and no one asked any questions," Ron explained quickly. He looked away. He unveiled the charm and showed Harry what he really looked like.

"Bloody hell, Ron! Why didn't you tell me?" demanded Harry.

"Because I never told anyone, not even my own mum. Harry, no one except you two, know," answered Ron. Ron re-charmed himself and looked to Harry.

"I'm sorry, okay? I'm still the same person, I just look different," he said.

"Best mates then, best mates forever," said Harry.


End file.
